The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved the free trade agreement signed on June 15 with Morocco.

The 85-13 vote in the Senate, to be followed by House action Thursday, would make Morocco the first country in Africa and the eighth in the world with a free trade relationship with the United States. According to MAP, the only other Arab nation is Jordan.

In a message sent last week to Congress, President George W. Bush called for support to the agreement, which had been finalized March 2, after seven rounds of negotiations. (menareport.com)